Presentation is One of Five Posters Scheduled for the 2008 Annual
Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
(ARVO)

IRVINE, Calif., February 22, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ISTA
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , announced today the acceptance of an
abstract describing the results of a study using Xibrom(TM)
(bromfenac ophthalmic solution) 0.09% therapy in combination with
Lucentis(R) (ranibizumab injection) in patients with age-related
macular degeneration (AMD). According to the abstract, patients who
received Xibrom required 1.6 +/- 0.69 injections of Lucentis during
the six-month study period, while patients who received only
Lucentis received 4.5 +/- 0.41 injections. Patients with Lucentis
alone received significantly more (2.83 times) injections of
ranibizumab (p=0.0002) than those receiving the combination. There
was a numerical trend in favor of the combination treatment group
on improvement in visual acuity but this difference did not achieve
statistical significance. These data are expected to be presented
at the ARVO 2008 annual meeting, which begins at the end of
April.

The study results were gathered from 60 patients receiving
Lucentis therapy for wet AMD. Patients were monitored monthly using
optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography.
When leakage from vessels was detected, patients were re-injected
with Lucentis. 30 patients received Xibrom dosed twice daily in
addition to the Lucentis injection, and their results were compared
to 30 patients who received Lucentis only. There were no adverse
events associated with the extended topical administration of
bromfenac. The study was designed as a retrospective case control
series.

The clinical findings will be presented on Sunday April 27, 2008
from 11 am - to 12:45 pm by Calvin A. Grant, M.D., author of the
study, in a poster (#A531) titled, "Combination Therapy: Lucentis
(ranibizumab injection) and Xibrom (bromfenac ophthalmic solution)
0.09% in the Treatment of CNV Membrane Secondary to AMD". The study
was supported by an unrestricted research grant from ISTA
Pharmaceuticals. The full abstract is available at www.arvo.org.

"We are very excited about these preliminary results and look
forward to exploring this effect further," stated Timothy R.
McNamara, Pharm.D., Vice President, Clinical Research and Medical
Affairs of ISTA. "ISTA intends to initiate additional studies to
confirm these findings and explore the potential to enhance patient
safety and response in wet AMD therapy."

Additional Poster Presentations scheduled for the 2008 ARVO
Meeting, which will be held at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward
County Convention Center:

Xibrom is a topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound for
the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain. Xibrom, approved in
2005, is the first and only FDA-approved twice-daily NSAID for
inflammation and reduction of pain following cataract surgery.
Xibrom was the fastest-growing ophthalmic product in 2007,
according to IMS data. Xibrom, under a different trade name but
identical formulation, was launched in Japan in 2000 by Senju
Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. ISTA acquired U.S. marketing rights for
Xibrom in 2002 and launched the product in the U.S. in 2005.

About Istalol(R)

Istalol is a once-daily, topical solution of timolol, a
beta-blocking agent for the treatment of glaucoma. ISTA holds
exclusive marketing rights to Istalol in the United States under
license from Senju Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which developed the
product in Japan.

ABOUT ISTA PHARMACEUTICALS

ISTA Pharmaceuticals is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company.
ISTA's products and product candidates addressing the $3.2 billion
U.S. prescription ophthalmic industry include therapies for
inflammation, ocular pain, glaucoma, allergy, and dry eye. The
Company currently markets three products and is developing a strong
product pipeline to fuel future growth and market share. The
Company's product development and commercialization strategy is to
launch a new product every 12 to 18 months, thereby continuing its
growth to become the leading niche ophthalmic pharmaceutical
company in the U.S. For additional information regarding ISTA,
please visit ISTA Pharmaceuticals' website at http://www.istavision.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this press release referring to
future events or other non-historical matters are forward-looking
statements. Without limiting the foregoing, but by way of example,
statements contained in this press release concerning prospects
related to the presentation of data at the ARVO 2008 annual
meeting, ISTA initiating further studies on the combination use of
Xibrom and Lucentis, and ISTA's goals of bringing a new product to
market every 12 to 18 months and becoming the leading niche
ophthalmic pharmaceutical company in the U.S., are forward-looking
statements. Except as required by law, ISTA disclaims any intent or
obligation to update any forward-looking statements. These forward-
looking statements are based on ISTA's expectations as of the date
of this press release and are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially. Important
factors that could cause actual results to differ from current
expectations include, among others: the inherent uncertainty
associated with financial projections and estimates, timely and
successful implementation of ISTA's strategic initiatives; delays
and uncertainties related to ISTA's research and development
programs (including without limitation the difficulty of predicting
the timing or outcome of bepotastine product development efforts);
the timing, scope, and outcome of FDA or other regulatory agency
approval or actions; uncertainties and risks regarding market
acceptance of and demand for ISTA's approved products; the impact
of competitive technologies, products, and pricing; uncertainties
and risks related to ISTA's ability to properly manage its growth;
uncertainties and risks related to the continued availability of
third-party sourced products and raw materials on commercially
reasonable terms, or at all; uncertainties and risks related to
successful compliance with FDA and/or other governmental
regulations applicable to ISTA's facilities, products, and/or
business; uncertainties and risks related to the scope, validity,
and enforceability of patents related to ISTA's products and
technologies and the impact of patents and other intellectual
property rights held by third parties; and such other risks and
uncertainties as detailed from time to time in ISTA's public
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including
but not limited to ISTA's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2006, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for
the quarters ended March 31, 2007, June 30, 2007, and September 30,
2007.